


A Brave Man Once Requested Me...

by Golddisaster



Category: Formula 1 RPF, Rush (2013)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I made myself sad, M/M, Mornings, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 13:24:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8373829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golddisaster/pseuds/Golddisaster
Summary: "Is it to be or not to be?"And I replied,"Oh why ask me?" Niki has a dream after Austin, with a very familiar face.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title from "Suicide Is Painless" by Johnny Mandel. And that bit in the summary too.

Niki awoke to someone’s back, the light from the window casting a hazy glow around the outline of the broad-shouldered figure. He blinked, confused. Hadn’t he been on the plane back from Texas? The nondescript sheets, the red and orange race suits flung haphazardly across the floor told him that this was not his seat on the plane. 

And yet, somehow, he wasn’t concerned. He watched the figure, eyes falling on a trail of cigarette smoke, following the wisps until the hit the ceiling and disappeared. Niki hadn’t smelled these kinds of cigarettes in years. The figure turned his head, and Niki’s breath caught when he saw his face.

“Look who’s finally up.” James smiled, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray. Niki rolled his eyes. 

“Shut up.” He mumbled, burying his face in the pillow. 

_“It’s a dream.”_ Niki thought to himself. _“A stupid dream.”_ Yet he felt his hands ball into fists, grabbing at the all-to-real sheets. 

“Aw, c’mon Niki, don’t be like that.” James whined. There was a pause as Niki turned away from James, his back facing towards him. James sighed. 

“Oh, and I’m the moody one.” James mumbled, scooting closer to Niki. Niki couldn’t move farther away, unless he wanted to fall out of the bed. 

“What’s gotten into you?” James asked softly, putting a hand on Niki’s shoulder. It caused a sharp pang in his heart, a wanting. 

“Nothing.” Niki murmured. 

“You were having fun last night.” James said. 

“I don’t remember last night, asshole.” Niki shot back. Of course he did though, he’d been in Austin. Niki could practically hear James rolling his eyes. They were quiet for a little longer. Niki took in everything he could about James’ touch, how heavy his hand lay on his shoulder, the way he moved his thumb in slow circles across his skin, how his hip pressed against Niki’s back. “You know Niki, I’ve been thinking…” 

Niki snorted. 

“You can think? Amazing.” 

James laughed, that hearty laugh that Niki had missed so. 

“Ah, there’s the asshole I know.” James chuckled. “But I was thinking.” He continued in a more serious tone. 

“What do you think we’ll be like in forty years?”

Niki felt his eyes bolt open, wincing as his skin grew tight, realizing his burns were now fresh again. 

“I don’t know.” Niki said, turning onto his back, trying to regain his composure.“Why were you thinking about that?” James shrugged. 

“I just wonder how people will look back on this season, on us.” James smiled, making Niki bite his lip, swallowing the painful truth. 

_“You aren’t here in forty years.”_

James looked out the window. 

“They’ll probably think you deserved it, the championship.” James said. 

“Bullshit.” Niki said fiercely, earning a look of surprise from James. 

“In forty years everyone will think you deserved the championship. They’ll all-“ Niki stopped abruptly, swallowing the words “ _miss you”_. James raised an eyebrow. 

“What makes you so sure?” He asked. Niki shrugged. 

“Intuition, and I know, because you won. You would have won even if I hadn’t gotten my face burned off.” Niki said, finally sitting up. James looked away, smiling, running a hand through his hair. 

“Well, I don’t really care what people say about me in forty years.” He said, looking back at Niki, his dark blue eyes crinkling with his smile. 

“I just hope you’ll be there with me.”

* * *

 

Niki awoke to darkness, the dim glow of overhead lights. He blinked, looking out his window. Below him sat a dark blue expanse, either countryside or ocean, he couldn’t tell. He looked at his reflection in the window, his time-weathered features, even his burns which had once horrified so many had become a part of the many wrinkles that crossed his face now. He saw a trail down his cheek, wiping it away, his hand coming away wet. He pressed his lips into a line, James’ face lingering in his mind.

“I will be.” Niki said quietly, seemingly to no-one in particular. 

“I will be.” 


End file.
